EL DORADO COUNTY -- The man accused of killing his wife in El Dorado County made his first appearance in a courtroom Tuesday.

Appearing before a judge for the first time, Anthony Gumina could be seen tearing up as his court-appointed lawyer pushed back his arraignment until Sept. 24.

“He wasn’t facing anybody. That to me, body language, says a lot,” said a family friend.

A woman, who did not want FOX40 to use her name, said she was friends with both Gumina and his wife, Heather Gumina Waters. She came to court dressed in pink to show support for Gumina Waters and to raise awareness of domestic abuse.

A new criminal complaint states he killed her because “Heather Gumina was a witness to a crime and was intentionally killed to prevent her from testifying in a criminal proceeding.”

That may be referring to a January case when Gumina was charged with headbutting Gumina Waters and tackling her while she held her 4-year-old son. He was also accused of kicking in doors and forcibly removing phones from his wife in order to prevent her from dialing 911, according to court documents.